Purpose
by aisha12894
Summary: Hiromi secretly longs to be more than just the manager of the world famous Bladebreakers team. She wants to discover her place in life even if it means leaving behind her precious family, especially Takao. Hiromi's willing to travel to the ends of the world in order to find her purpose but just what will she find at the end of her journey?
1. Chapter 1

The life of being a manager to one of the hottest team in the BBA is a dream job for many, since you are able to travel the world, battle against fierce competition, and win every single last tournament that you have entered in ever since the formation of the team.

Yet there were time were Hiromi Tachibana longed to be more than just the Bladebreakers Workout Coordinator, Rule Enforcer, Team Cheerleader along with any other position that was required with her title. She wanted to know the feeling of training to be the best, to establish a bond with the spirit of a bey, and to be known as a renowned champ not just in Japan but the entire world.

Although it was a silly dream, there was much to her fantasy that she wanted it to become her reality.

Yet it would be no easy task to just up and leave the boys to their lonesome selves, she had grown so attached to them that she called them her family. That is all except one, the lone exception to her previous thought, was none other than the World Champ himself, Takao Kinoyama.

Takao had medium length blue hair, which was always style in a ponytail, and covered with his signature red, blue and yellow cap. He would always wear a yellow quarter-length sleeve scoop shirt, his blue sleeveless bubble vest, blue denim jeans, red and white shoes, and blue fingerless gloves. His Dragoon rests against his right arm poised and ready to be launch into a bey battle at any time.

He was stubborn, hot headed, immature, and just down right annoying. Yet there were times were he showed compassion to his enemies, a protector of the weak and bullied, fiercely loyal to his friends, and her favorite, her personal and sole confidante.

Although they would bicker a lot, they two were the closes of friends as they share each other joys and woes in life and never uttered a word to others about their problems. Their bond was strong but she could never reveal to him one of her deepest secrets.

However with all of that responsibility on her shoulders, Hiromi still had the urge to become a force to help propel the team forward in future tournaments.

Yet what she was currently holding in her hand made her hesitate on whether or not she truly wanted to walk the path she so desperately wanted to take.

It was a rather simple stationary card with a traditional happy saying on the front but the handwritten message inside seemed to answer her deepest desire. "_Do you want to find out your purpose in life?_"

The question seems to be etching itself in to her mind before a plane ticket gently floats to the surface of her bedroom floor.

She bends forward in order to pick the rectangular shape paper up within her grasp and proceeds to read the printed details on the front. _'Beijing, China?'_

Even though China was not too far away from Japan, it was enough distance for her to make the trip with little to no hassle. The only problem that she had was how in the world she was going to break the news to the boys.

'_Wait a minute…why should I even tell them anything? I have wanted this for far too long to easily give up this opportunity.'_

'You at least owe some type of explanation to Takao. I mean you do share everything else but this goal of yours with him.' She hears her consciousness reasoning with her.

'_You're probably right but do I have to do it in person?' _Hiromi pose to her inner self as she attempts to play through various scenarios on how to break the news to Takao.

'Just tell him the truth.' Her consciousness responds in a stern and firm tone, which cause doubt to soon flood her thoughts.

'Don't doubt your abilities or your relationship with Takao. Just be honest enough with him.'

'_Yet you're not the one who has to tell him though. You merely get to watch it play out from the back of my mind.'_

Hiromi takes a seat at her personal desk area, when she cast her gaze over the contents that were on the surface of the desk.

There were various academic awards scattered about, pictures of her time with the guys, school supplies strum every which a way, a picture of her family, and one of her most prized possession a picture reel of her and Takao from when they went to the carnival in town together.

'_How can I tell him that I will be leaving in…' _she pauses in the middle of her thought as she reaches out for the ticket again and read the date.

The flight date was schedule for tomorrow afternoon during their normal practice hours. _'Oh just great,' _she thought in a sarcastic tone while bringing both of her hands against her forehead.

When she drags both of her hands downward, her gaze locks in on a piece of paper and a pen that sits off in the far left side of her desk, _'I could write a letter. That way I can deliver it to their home before practice even starts.'_

Hiromi quickly grabs a couple of sheets of paper as well as the pen and blankly stares at the blue lined paper with red margins. _'Now what to write…'_

'Just tell him the truth.' 'Don't doubt your abilities or your relationship with Takao. Just be honest enough with him.'

Hiromi place the pen against the paper and scribbles down, "Dear Takao," and pause for a brief moment as if to think of the opening line to her letter.

After pondering for a couple of seconds, her thoughts seem to collaborate and start to appear on the paper as she jots down her feelings, the situation at hand, and a promise to come back home whenever she could.

Once she was satisfied with her work, Hiromi leaves her desk in order to pack and to locate an envelope for her to place her letter inside of.

'_I just hope Takao understands it better than I imagine he will.' _She inwardly thought to herself before she starts to prepare for the big day tomorrow.

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Morning seem to roll around pretty fast for a rather excited Hiromi as she continuous check the time to see if it was anywhere near for her flight to depart.

She double checked her closet to make sure she was not missing any important article of clothing that she might need when she arrived in China.

"It's all clear, Hiromi_." _She says to herself once she moves away from the inside of her closet.

As it nears closer to the Bladebreakers practice time, Hiromi left earlier then usually since she knew that Kai and Rei was the early risers of the group.

'_Those two are seriously dedicated to perfecting their skills in the arena.' _She inwardly thought about the pair's determination and drive to be better than the next day adm the day after that.

Hiromi silently knew she had to be careful because Grandpa would normally be up sweeping the front of the house/dojo at the time she planned to arrive.

'_That man faithfully rises with the rooster and sleeps with the rise of the moon.' _She mentally noted about Takao's Grandpa daily routine.

The walk to the Kinoyama's residence felt awfully shortens than usual, which cause Hiromi to think that it was because of her excitement of traveling to China on a slight mere whim.

'_Here's the drop off box.' _She thought to herself as she reaches out for the lid of the silver rectangular prism shaped mailbox.

The sound of whistling and sweeping could be heard around the corner of the entrance as Hiromi automatically registers it as none other than Grandpa doing his morning chores.

Once she drops the envelope inside of the mailbox, Hiromi bows at the waist and mouths "Thank you" to the unexpected senior.

"It sure is a lovely day out here today, eh Rei?" the older man pose to the young man, who appears from in front of the front door.

"It sure is and it's going to be filled with nothing but kids out their blading to their heart's content." Rei answers with a nod of his head.

'_I think I have said all of my goodbyes.' _She thought to herself as she begins to walk toward the urban area of Tokyo in order to flag a cab down.

'_See you later you guys.' _

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A couple of minutes later, the eldest Kinoyama pushes the front door open with his left foot while balancing a box full of mail in both of his hands.

"Whew…it seems as if the mailman had a lot to deliver today." Grandpa states as he places the bottom of the box on the surface of the dining room.

"Grandpa…is there any mail for me?" A young man with blue hair in a ponytail groggily inquires to the older man while rubbing his eyes with the side of one of his hands.

"You have to give me a couple of seconds to separate the bills from the fan letters first." He explains as the young man stifles a yawn with his right hand.

"Well if there is anything important in there for me just place it in my room. I'm going to back to bed." The young man informs him when he turns to exit from the kitchen.

"Just where do you think you're going, Takao?" Rei poses to the young man in front of the kitchen door when he brings in the other box full of mail.

The boy name Takao glances over his right shoulder and responds with, "My futon is calling me to return back within its covers."

"Now you know we have to do our 1k morning run every day." Rei reminds the young man, who stifles another yawn with his right hand.

"I'm in the best shape of my life Rei. So no running this morning if Max isn't up either." Takao comments with a sleepy facial expression.

Rei places another box beside the box Grandpa toted in, rounds the kitchen table, walks up to Takao and places his hand on Takao's shoulders. "Oh trust me, he has no other choice but to wake up since Kai has Max to wake up this morning."

Takao shakes his head left and right because he was all too familiar with Kai's various methods in order to wake the 'living dead' as he and Rei would call him and Max. _'Poor Max…he's in for one rude awakening this morning.'_

'_Thank Kami-sama that I had Rei today and not Kai.' _He silently prayed for his good fortune on that particular morning.

"So you're ready to run this one mile?" Rei pose to Takao with his hand still against his shoulders.

'_It could be Kai instead of Rei…' _"Let me get my hat and shoes then we can go." Takao agrees to Rei's question.

'_This is going to be one long day.' _Takao thought as he make his way to his personal bedroom in order to retrieve two items: his hat and his shoes.

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'_It's a good thing that the airport isn't too busy today or it would have been a hassle to locate my flight.' _Hiromi thought as security check her bag and wand her down for any possible weapons.

"Have a nice flight ma'am." The security officer tells her when he hands her personal belongings since she knew that was code for, 'You're free to go because you're not carrying anything illegal or that can inflict harm upon others.'

"Layover flight from Los Angles, California to Beijing, China, now arrives at terminal C." A voice over the intercom announce, which cause Hiromi to glance down at her ticket and sure enough there was terminal C printed on her ticket.

'_Looks like I have good timing then.' _She silently pats herself on the back for a job before she continues to make her way over to her respective terminal.

On her way to her terminal, she spots a girl with medium length blonde hair, which was styled into a ponytail with a swoop bang over her right eyebrow. Her outfit consists of a black bomber style jacket with a dark purple half-shirt underneath, which reveals her tone stomach with a belly piercing, khaki shorts, and calf length black military combat boots. She wore a silver charm bracelet around her right wrist and black Raybans sunglasses cover her eyes. She stood in the middle of the walkway with a rather large black backpack on her back in attempts to read the signs around.

For some reason, Hiromi felt as if she should help the poor girl out with her Japanese so she would not miss her flight.

"Hello," she greets her in Japanese, which causes the girl to glance at her in a weird fashion. "I don't understand Japanese." The girl responds in English.

'_So she's from America…that's why she was having a hard time reading the sights.' _Hiromi inwardly thought before she clears her throat.

"Is there anything that I can help you with?" Hiromi pose to the girl with concern evident in her tone.

"Oh good, you can speak English. What luck am I having today." The girl says to herself with a smile present on her face.

Hiromi nod her head up and down to show the girl in front of her that she understood what she was saying. _'Good thing I paid attention in English class or it would have been very difficult to help her out.'_

"Can you tell me how to get to terminal that is going to take me to…" She pauses in the middle of her sentence to glance at her plane ticket and adds in "Beijing, China?"

Hiromi eyes slightly widen at the question as she merely stares at the girl, who stood in front of her. "That's my same flight. I was just heading in that direction."

The girl release a sigh of relief before she proclaims, "Oh thank God!" Hiromi simply smile at the blonde haired girls' reaction.

"Layover flight from Terminal C will be bordering in twenty minutes." A voice over the intercom announces.


	2. Chapter 2

"Whew…I've finished." Takao proclaims out of breath with both of his hands placed on his knees and back was bent forward.

Rei simply places one of his hands on Takao's shoulders as a signal for him completing his morning running. "You manage to do better than your other times."

Takao merely straightens back to his original height and releases yet another heavy deep sigh once he was able to catch his breath. _'Never again…'_

It was then that Takao had cast his gaze at the entrance of his residence as if he had expected for someone to enter on his family's residence.

"Yeah, we just finished our 1k morning exercise. What about you and Max?" Rei address their fellow teammate, which causes Takao's sights to remain fixed on the gate.

"No, we haven't even started yet but we were just about to be on our way out." A voice replies when the sound of footsteps can be heard coming closer to their location.

Takao returns his gaze to in front of him and mentally registers that the other members of the beyblade team known as the Bladebreakers chats about today routine.

However there was one other person who was currently missing from the bunch, which causes him to think about her welfare.

'_Usually Hiromi is here by now. Where could she be?' _

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Hiromi covers her nose with her left arm when she felt a sneeze coming on, "Sorry about that…it seems as if someone is talking about me."

The blonde haired girl raises one of her eyebrows at the brunette haired girl and asks her, "So just because you sneeze someone talked about you."

"It's just a Japanese superstitious saying which often times prove to be true." Hiromi mumbles the latter part of her sentence to herself.

Her green eyes widen in astonishment and response with an "Oh" facial expression, "That's interesting."

Hiromi simply nod her head in agreement when she realizes that she did not know the girl's name. "Ano…I mean excuse me."

The blonde haired girl turns to face Hiromi again, who continues to speaks to her, "I never got around to introducing myself to you,"

She brings the palm of hand against her forehead and returns it to her side, "Same here. My name is Audrey Steele. And you are?"

"Hiromi Tachibana and it's a pleasure to meet you Audrey." Hiromi properly greets the girl name Audrey with a warm smile.

"Hiromi Tachibana? As in the manager for the Bladebreakers for the current World Champs in the BBA?" Audrey poses with her green eyes wide clearly in shock at the revelation.

A feeling of guilt briefly hit Hiromi once Audrey mentioned the team that she had just left behind in order to discover her purpose in life.

"Yeah…that's me." Hiromi confirms her identity to the girl name Audrey in a sullen tone as she casts her eyes to the airport's floor.

'_I wonder if they received the letter yet.' _She ponders to herself as she silently wishes she could see their expressions once they find her handwritten letter in the mailbox.

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"Hey Rei," Takao's voice calls out to the raven-haired male, who was currently setting up the backyard of Takao's home for their training regime.

Golden pupils were now cast in Takao's direction when he pause in cleaning out the dish and pose "What is it?"

Takao quickly cuts his eyes left and right as if he was hoping that that no one else could hear their conversation. "Have you heard from Hiromi at all?"

This cause Rei to straighten back to his original height, "Now that you mention it, it is rather strange that Hiromi hasn't showed up yet."

'_At least I'm not the one who's concerned about her…' _he thought when he recalled when Hiromi confided in him that she thought that the guys were really not concerned for her.

'_I wish she was here to see that she was wrong about that.' _"It is rather strange that she hasn't at least called by now." Takao interjects before he could hear the sound of footsteps approaching them.

He quickly turn his head in the direction of the noise while silently hoping that Hiromi would turn the corner, apologize about her being late, start preparing their training schedule before Kai arrives, and implement the importance of each skill set that was to be practiced.

Instead he was greeted by the sights of his grandfather, who was on a fast track to where he was currently resting.

Takao never saw his Grandpa run that fast let only out of breath, which meant that whatever it was that he was holding in his hand was something valuable.

"A letter…from…Hiromi…leaving for China…right now." He manages to huff out in between his ragged breathing with a piece of paper in his hands.

It took a couple of seconds for what his grandpa told him to register in his brain as he instantly react by hopping to his feet and immediately takes off running.

"Takao," Rei calls out to the bluenette, who seems to be on warp speed toward the entrance and exit of his home.

"You should follow him Rei so he won't run off if he misses her at the airport." Grandpa advises the raven haired boy with a flip of his hand.

Rei nod his head at the elder man, "Please inform Kai and Max of where we are when they arrive back from their run."

"Will do…" Grandpa manages to say as Rei begin to pursue Takao to the airport.

'_I just hope he gets there in time to stop her.' _Grandpa thought as he decides to take a seat where Takao had previously occupied.

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"So how old are you Hiromi?" Audrey inquires about Hiromi's age as a means to strike up a conversation with the friendly brunette.

"I'm seventeen years old. What about you?" Hiromi answers with a small smile apparent on her face.

"No way, you're older then I am!" Audrey suddenly exclaims with a playful pout evident on her face, which cause Hiromi to giggle at her new friend's reaction.

"I'm sixteen but I will be turning seventeen in a couple of week though." Audrey quickly interjects as her index finger points upward.

"It is nothing wrong with being young." Hiromi mentions before she asks, "So is this your first time flying?"

Audrey nods her head left and right and says, "Well it is my first flight out of the country but I have flown a couple of times in the borders of the States before. That's why I'm kinda of glad that I ran in to you when I did."

"I see. International flights are quite tricky especially if you're doing a layover in a foreign country. We used to have that trouble all the time." Hiromi chimes in as she recalls her first experience with flights to other countries when traveling with the Bladebreakers.

Audrey avidly listen to Hiromi describe a couple of her experiences on flights. "I didn't understand a single one of these signs."

"Now bordering flight from Tokyo, Japan to Beijing, China." A voice announces their flight along with a list of bordering flights that were arriving as well.

"That's our flight. Are you ready to go?" Hiromi poses to Audrey when she stands to her feet and grabs her duffle bag from the side of the comfortable seat.

Audrey instantly hops to her feet with her backpack still on her back and follows Hiromi, who was currently serving as her personal travel guide.

"Do you mind if I ask you, why you are going to China?" Audrey suddenly inquires to Hiromi once she matches the brunette haired girl's stride from stride.

"To discover what my purpose is." Hiromi replies as she turns to face the blonde haired girl before she asks her, "Same question to you, why are you going to China?"

Audrey's smile widen as she adjusts the strap of her backpack so that her bag would not fall off her shoulder. "To travel on a quest."

This cause Hiromi to slightly pause in the middle of her stride as she inwardly thinks to herself, _'Did she receive an envelope the same way that I receive mines?'_

"Is everything alright, Hiromi?" Audrey's voice held concern when she noticed that Hiromi had suddenly stopped in her stride.

Hiromi casts her gaze to the teenage girl in front of her when she realize what she was doing, "Oh sorry about that…I just zoned out for a minute."

"That's fine. I totally understand that." Audrey offers supportive reassurance to the girl in front of her with a small smile.

"Let's go before we miss our flight." Hiromi quickly comments before the pair heads off to their respective terminal.

'_So long Tokyo, Bladebreakers, and especially Takao its time that I go out and figure out my purpose in the world.' _

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"Takao, slow down will you!" Rei shouts at the bluenette, who was currently jogging in place and waiting for the traffic light to turn red.

"If I don't hurry then she will leave." Takao shouts over his shoulder while trying to formulate another route to the airport.

"Who is _she_ Takao?" Rei inquires in a confused manner when he observes the light flashes from red to yellow and finally to green.

Takao simply ignores the question and quickly dashes across the crosswalk without even checking left or right for any oncoming traffic.

"Watch out, Takao!" Rei shouts out a warning as Takao dodges a moving car by sliding across the roof of the hood and continues to run until he reaches the opposite sidewalk.

Grandpa's advice continously repeats itself in Rei's mind as he tries to make sure that the bluenette name Takao remains within his sights.

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"Uh…" Max manages to huff out once he arrives with his hands against his knees and bent over.

Kai glances around to his left and right expecting to see Rei and Takao on their way out to the front of the gate. Instead Takao's grandfather appeared in front of them with a worried expression on his face.

"Where are Takao and Rei?" Kai inquires about the exact location of the other members of the Bladebreakers.

"They both went to the airport." Grandpa replies as he glances up toward the vast blue sky as if he was searching for something.

"Why would they be going to the _airport_?" Max poses in a confused manner while he was hunched over before he slowly straightens back to his original height. "We're not due to leave until a couple of more weeks?"

Grandpa quickly breaks his concentration away from the sky as his sights land back on the two young boys standing in front of him.

"It's not that…" he speaks up when the sound of an airplane could be heard as a frown suddenly appears across his face. "He's too late!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kai inquires to Grandpa, who merely shakes his head in disbelief, "Whose too late?"

"Takao…" Grandpa mutters his grandson name in a sadden tone under his breath.

"Hey Kai, what's going on?" Max asks as he nudges the slate haired male with one of his elbows against his side in order to get her attention.

Kai merely shrugs his shoulders up and down as he too was at a lost at the eldest Kinoyama's sudden strange behavior.

'_This isn't going to be easy...' _He inwardly notes to himself as his eyes continues to track the airplane's movement as it glides through the sky.

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"Yay, I have the window seat!" Audrey happily declares with excitement once she places her bag inside of the compartment holder.

'_Good because I don't think I can bare looking at us leaving Japan.' _Hiromi inwardly thought yet it was verbalize as, "Ah Hiromi...you get to see this beautiful view when we leave."

"It's the best part of the trip." Audrey admits as she takes her seat next to window followed by Hiromi who takes her seat next to her.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ma'am, could you please tell me whether or not a flight to Beijing, China has left already?" Takao poses out of breath to the young woman who works at baggage.

"Yes I can sir, give me just a couple of seconds," the woman politely response before she glances down at her computer terminal and starts to press a couple of keys on the keyboard.

"Do you think we got here too late, Rei?" Takao inquires when he turns to face one of his closes friends with a hopeful expression present on his face.

Luckily for Rei, he did not have to supply an answer to the question since the young woman interjects in between their conversation.

"There was a layover flight from Los Angles, California that recently landed but it has already left for Beijing a couple of minutes ago." The woman reports to Takao.

Rei could tell from the sudden change in body language that Takao was not satisfied with the woman's answer.

"I have one more question for you ma'am…did you see a young girl with brunette haired, red eyes, kind of pale, and about ye high?" Takao rattles off a description of Hiromi to the woman in front of him.

The woman nods her head in an up and down manner, "She was here a few minutes ago but she did not check a bag in though."

"Okay then. Thank you." Takao replies in a dejected manner while he turns away from the lady and faces Rei.

"Let's go back home." Takao mumbles to Rei once he approaches him before he pushes pass his concern friend.

'_This is going to be a long day today for him.' _Rei inwardly concludes about how Takao would act for the rest of the day.

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Hiromi releases a held breath once one of the flight attendants announces that the plane had ascend to proper altitude and was free to move about.

She cast her eyes over to Audrey, who currently had earplugs in her ears and shakes her head up and down listening to her music, as she recall what she had told her earlier before they boarded the plane.

'_She said something along the line of to travel on a quest.' _Hiromi inwardly repeats to herself.

Hiromi return her sights back to the seat in front of her when she notices that Audrey lifts her hands up to her ears and remove her earphones.

"Hiromi," Audrey calls Hiromi by her name, which causes her to turn her in the blonde's direction, "So exactly why are you going to China?"

She slightly tense up at the question but feels somewhat obligated since Audrey told her about why she was going to China.

"To discover my purpose." Hiromi admits to the blonde as she relaxes her shoulders and adjusts herself in her seat.

Audrey did not immediately respond to the question instead she resumes her previous activity and returns the earphones back in her ears.

'_That was kind of weird…' _Hiromi mentally notes Audrey's reaction to her answer.

'_It looks like its going to be a while before we land in China. I wonder if they have started their morning stretches by now.' _She thinks to herself.

Hiromi leans her head back against the headrest and closes her eyes.

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Grandpa patiently waited at the front gate for his grandson to return and silently prayed that Hiromi was in his company along with Rei.

Yet, somehow he knew deep down that the plane he had just laid his eyes on carried the girl, who his grandson hold near and dear to his heart.

He knew that the sudden departure of the brunette haired girl was going to affect everyone in their camp but it would hit Takao the hardest.

'_It is something about that letter that just doesn't add up.' _He thought to himself as he recalls the content of Hiromi's letter.

Even still for her to just up and leave everyone behind without a proper goodbye is definitely gut-wrenching for his grandson.

It was not until Max announces the arrival of his grandson by running up to him and asks him, "Are you alright?"

He notices the sadness that seems to radiate off of his body and his body language seem to present that he was not in the mood to do anything but remain to himself.

"I'm fine." Takao simply responses to the question with a shift of his right hand to remove Max's hand off of his shoulder.

Rei's face seems to speak from the calm and rational point of view as he states the obvious "We didn't make it in time."

This time it was Grandpa, who slightly hung his head, before Kai speaks up, "We will hold practice off until tomorrow morning."

Takao was too out of it to register that Kai blessed them with an extremely rare opportunity of not participating in their daily training.

"I think we should have training today for the rest of us since the WBBA Tournament is coming up in a couple of weeks." Rei offers another suggestion.

Kai shakes his head before he counters with, "Everything we're going to do as a team so there is no training today."

Max merely exchanges look between the two speaking before he interjects, "So you're telling me that I just ran a 5k this morning only to find out that we don't have practice."

Kai turns away and walks back to his designated sleeping area in order to ponder up new various strategies to improve their skills before the next WBBA tournament.

'_It would have been easier if Hiromi was here.' _He thought to himself as he makes his way inside of Takao's grandfather's home/dojo.

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"Hey, Hiromi," Hiromi hears someone calling her name and shaking her arm in the process, which causes her to slowly wake from her slumber.

She rubs the sleep from her eyes with the side of her right hand and stifles a yawn with the palm of her left hand.

"We're here!" She hears a feminine voice shouts after removing their hand from her arm.

Hiromi stretches out against the airplane's seat and takes in her surroundings when she notices that she was currently in an airplane and next to her was this excited blonde haired girl, who appears around her age.

'_Oh yeah that's right.' _She thought once her actions start to flood her memory banks before she glances over to where Audrey was pointing out of the window.

"Oh my god, I can see the Great Wall from here!" She exclaims as she turns her head so she could hold Hiromi in her gaze and points with her index finger.

A smile graces her face as Audrey's excitement seems to radiate from her body and on to her. _'She's definitely new to traveling.' _

The vibration that was felt throughout the plane signaled to Hiromi that the landing gear had been released and that they were about to reach their destination.

'_It's too late to turn back now.' _Hiromi thought to herself as she releases a held breath before a jerking sensation can be felt as the wheels of the plane finally connect with the concrete runway strip.

The sound of the pilot welcoming the passengers to China meant that it was time for them to grab their respective luggage and exit from the airplane.

Audrey remains seated until Hiromi tells her that it was time for them to leave. "Boy am I glad that I ran into you at the Tokyo Airport or I would have been lost again."

Hiromi smiles at the blonde as she grabs both of their stuff and makes their way off of the airplane behind a line of people.

'_I can't believe that I'm finally here.' _Hiromi thought as Audrey had a similar thought as well with the same wide smile on her face.

"So do you need help getting to your next destination?" Hiromi poses to Audrey as she adjusts her luggage in her hand.

She cuts her gaze over to the blonde and notices that Audrey was looking at a piece of paper that she holds in her grasp.

Audrey mutters, "Once you arrive make your way to the taxi pick up and search for your name on the board. Direct the driver to take you to the Forbidden City."

It was then that Hiromi realize that the Forbidden City was her destination as well, _'Something's not adding up here.' _

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Grandpa slightly cracks Takao's shoji door and notices that he still had his back facing away from the door.

He closes the door back and exhales a deep breath as it simply broke his heart to see his grandson in his current state.

'_I don't think he will be able to rebound from this so easily.' _He thought to himself since he was all too familiar with Takao's feelings toward Hiromi.

Grandpa soon begins to ponder to himself,_ 'It must be eating him alive that she didn't confide in him like she would always do.' _

He removes himself from in front of the door and turns to head to the living room where the other members of the Bladebreakers were.

'_I need to go and check up on how those three are doing too.' _He mentally notes as he nears the living room and could hear the trio talking among themselves.

"This is crazy! How could Hiromi just up and leave us like that?" Grandpa can hear Max ask the group in a tone of disbelief.

"I just wished she would have told us sooner so we could have proper sending off party." Rei states his opinion about the situation.

Kai choose to remain quiet and serve as a spectator rather than a participant in the duo's conversation about Hiromi.

'_If she wanted to go to China on her own then that's her choice. She is human and can choice on her own behalf what she wants to do with her life.' _he inwardly thought since he was familiar with Hiromi's current mindset.

"I think it was something important but for Takao to blindside as well means that Hiromi didn't want either one of us to know about it. I know it is hurting him the most." Max mentions to Rei, who merely nods his head in agreement.

"Then the timing of her leaving is when we're so close to the next world tournament is going to leave Takao's not being able to concentrate in training." Rei adds in.

"Enough." Kai declares, which earns him looks from both of his teammates, "Takao's passion for bey battling will not change in the slightest. It's his desire to be number one that will keep his mind distracted from these events. We will continue on with our training regime as if it was any other day bright and early in the morning."

Max and Rei face each other and find themselves agreeing with Kai's statement. "You're right, Kai." "We should have never doubt Takao's strong blader spirit."

Grandpa seem rather please with that the outcome of their conversation was positive rather than a negative one.

_'As long as those three stay focus then Takao has no other choice but to fall in line.'_

Meanwhile…

Takao could not bring himself to read the content of Hiromi's letter since his emotions were still raw and all over the place.

Yet, there was this underlying pain in his heart when he realize that he had lost Hiromi and did not know the reason behind the brunette haired girl sudden departure.

'_I wonder why she didn't say anything about going to China earlier.' _He thought to himself.

Takao tries to recall past memories that would provide him a hint or a clue as to why she left.

'_No there wasn't any signs…' _he concludes as he turns his back now against the surface of his bed and his eyes glued on to the ceiling of his bedroom.

'_But still…why did she leave?'_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I greatly apperciate you all for reading this fanfiction. Its a new approach that I want to try as a writer for the TakaoxHiromi couple. So I'm going to stick with this so hang in there with me and I promise it will be worth it.**

**8888**

An estatic Audrey and a mute Hiromi travel their way through the congested airport until they reached the section for taxis pick up and drop off.

"It sure is a lot of people trying to catch a cab." Audrey utters while the pair weave through incoming as well as ongoing traffic of bodies.

On the other hand, Hiromi remain deep in her thoughts about what Audrey had just revealed to her once they arrived in Beijing.

'_Upon arrival make your way to the taxis. Search for your name on the board. Direct the driver to take you to the Forbidden City.'_

"I see my name, Hiromi!" she yells with her right arm outstretch with her index finger as a guide for Hiromi's eyes to follow.

"Oh and I think I see your name too!" she announces as she starts off in a light jog, which forces Hiromi to catch up with her.

Hiromi's eyes landed on the whiteboard with their names written in plain English that was being held up by a taxi cab driver.

"Come on before someone takes our cab." Audrey urges when she had stopped and realized that Hiromi was a couple of steps behind her.

Hiromi increases the stride in her steps until she reaches where Audrey waits for her along with the cab driver.

"He's ready to take us to where we need to go." Audrey proclaims with a wide smile present on her face while the cab driver shuffles his way over to open the door for the ladies.

She merely nods her head to show that she understood the plan.

Hiromi watches Audrey about to enter inside of the cab's backseat and halts at the entrance of the cab.

_ 'I wonder if it was meant for me to meet Audrey in the airport and help her to get her.' _She ponders to herself.

Audrey whirls her head to the right and notices that Hiromi had yet to enter the cab. She then asks her, "Are you going to get in or not, Hiromi?"

Her question snaps Hiromi out of whatever daze she was in as she apologizes to her once she slides in the cab.

The driver quickly cranks up the engine of the cab and nimbly merges the vehicle in to the busy airport traffic.

Audrey cuts her eyes over to see Hiromi rest the back of her head against the seat of the taxi, when she calls out "Hiromi,"

She waits until Hiromi rotates her head so that Audrey was in her line of vision, "Yes what is it?"

"Do you feel good? You look a little pale?" Audrey inquires about the brunette haired girl's health.

"Oh…I'm fine just daydreaming a little." Hiromi lies to the blonde haired girl off to her left.

88888

"Takao," a masculine voice shouts his name from behind the shoji door that separates his bedroom from the hallway outside.

He did not verbally responds, which prompts the male who calls his name to slide the door to their left and steps inside.

Takao hears the person call his name once again as he swivels his head in the direction of the noise and spots Kai in his room.

He returns his vision back to the letter that was within his grasp that details the reason of Hiromi's abrupt departure from Japan to China.

"Training will resume tomorrow morning with the normal 5k before we work on skill sets." Kai informs the blue haired male in front of him.

Takao releases a deep sigh and replies with a simple "Fine".

"If you're late then you will have to redo the 5k within eight minutes and repeat the workouts three times a piece. Do you understand?" Kai outlines the punishment for Takao if he was late.

He watches the bluenette's shoulders heave up and down when he agrees to the potential punishments that were to follow if he was to be late for tomorrow's practice.

Kai opts to leave his friend to his personal thoughts once again while he hopes that his strong blader's spirit outweighs what he feels at the current moment.

The sound of the shoji door snaps back in to place earns a look in the direction from Takao who registers that his slate haired friend was gone.

'_Training will resume tomorrow morning with the normal 5k before we work on skill sets.' 'If you're late then you will have to redo the 5k within eight minutes and repeat the workouts three times a piece. Do you understand?'_

He lifts his hand to his right arm, pops the lid of his beyholder open, withdraws his precious blade, and stares at it.

Takao tightly clutches the metallic object in his hand as if to force his thoughts and feelings on to his bit spirit.

A painful roar emits from his blade, which signals to him that he was not the only presence who sense Hiromi's absence.

8888

Hiromi and Ashley ride up to the main entrance of the Forbidden City prior to the taxi driver, who declares that they have arrive at their destination.

The pair properly thank and pay the taxi cab driver for his service after they unload their luggage on the sidewalk from within the trunk.

"He was nice." Ashley comments as she hooks one of the straps of her book bag on her arm while Hiromi adjusts her duffle bag.

Hiromi nods her head to show that she agrees with the blonde haired girl's statement about their polite cab driver.

A "psh" was overheard from along the sidewalk where an elderly man with a wooden table across his lap waves to as gesture for them to come over.

"I don't think we should…" Hiromi suggests right before Ashley drags her over to the man.

"How nice of you wonderful young ladies to entertain and grace this feeble old man with your presence? How about a little game?" the random man greets them while he shuffles three cups around on the table's surface.

An interested Ashley whirls her head in Hiromi's direction and inquires, "Do you know what he's saying Hiromi?"

"He said that it was nice of us wonderful young ladies to talk to him even in his old age. He asks do you want to play a game." Hiromi translates for her American companion.

"What are you playing old man?" She wonders out loud while she points at the board on the man.

The old man appears to be in shock once Ashley asks her question as he breaks away from his current action to address her question.

Another "psh" catches Hiromi's attention this time as she casts her gaze toward the source of the noise and discovers someone cloak in a burlap blanket.

A shaky hand emerges from the coat as she points at Hiromi and wags her finger so she would approach her.

"You should warn your friend about that _old _man that she's talking to. He likes to play games that visitors' can't win in order to take their money." She advises Hiromi in a hoarse feminine tone once she stands in front of her.

"I've seen too many innocent people lose their money that they have to him." The woman includes as she jabs her thumb in the man's direction.

"His con is that he lets them win the first two games so they can build up confidence and bet their entire bag of money only to lose because he removes the dice at the last minute." The woman explains the man's scam as they watch Audrey celebrate her second win against the old man.

Hiromi launches in to action after she observes Audrey digs inside of her pocket where her money for the trip was.

"Uhm…I think we should really get going." She voices to both her friend and the con man as well.

''That's too bad because your friend is blessed with good fortune by Buddha himself. I'm sure that _one _more game would not hurt her spirits." He badgers with a smirk on his face as he lifts his hands upward.

Audrey faces the brunette and repeats the same thing that the man just said, "He's right! I'm on a winning spree."

"Give us one second please…" Hiromi tugs Audrey off to the side so she can warn Audrey about the con that he runs on her.

"Listen to me for a minute Audrey, that man behind us runs this scam on all of the innocent visitors who walk by. He lets you win the first two games so you will bet everything you have on the third game only to lose in the end."

Audrey processes Hiromi's warning and choices to heed the advice with a nod of her head to display she understands.

"Sorry, I won't be able to finish up this last game with you." She declares once she breaks away from Hiromi.

A visible frown stretches across his face that he was so close to executing yet another successful scam on an unsuspecting visitor.

"Are you sure? I mean you can spare a few more seconds with this old man can't you?"

"We really need to head to our destination so our friends will know that we are fine." Audrey skillfully lies to the older man as they swiftly venture to the entrance of the Forbidden City.

"Hold on a minute…" Hiromi abruptly broadcasts as she searches for her money in order to tip the older lady for her warning.

After she about faced, she searches for the woman cloak in the burlap blanket vanishes from the sidewalk.

'_Did I dream of that old lady? No she was just here a few minutes ago.' _Hiromi ponders to herself as she return the change to her pocket.

"What's wrong now?" Audrey quips at the brunette haired woman with her hands on her hips.

"Oh…it's nothing." "I thought I just dropped something valuable but I guess not." Hiromi retorts while she treks over to her blonde haired friend.

Audrey shrugs her shoulders up and down at Hiromi's response to her current antics before they amble inside of the Forbidden City with luggage in tow.

8888

Grandpa shuffles about the kitchen in order to start on lunch and prepares the ingredients for dinner as well.

"This is so much easier when I had help." He huffs as he peers to his left where Hiromi would be poise while she moves about to collect the necessary materials.

'_I guess I should get use to her not being here.' _ Grandpa assumes before he shakes his head left and right and thinks, _'If Takao holds out on his faith then I should do the same thing.'_

As a wave of sudden vigor washes over his body, he releases a sigh and focuses in on the task at hand.

8888

Kai returns to the living room, which catches Rei and Max's focus as their expressions read, "So how did it go?"

He takes a seat on the couch, rests his right arm against the arm of the chain, and claims, "As long as we can keep him busy with beyblading then it shouldn't be too hard to distract him."

The pair shakes their head in agreement when Max includes, "We do have to get ready for the next tournament in a couple of weeks."

Rei stretches out against the floor, leans forward, crosses his legs, rests his right elbow on his thigh, leans against his closed fist, and utters, "It is about that time again…"

"…to defend the world title." Max finishes Rei's statement from an evident excitement as he smiles at the comment.

Kai continues to listen in on the pair's conversation when Max presses a red button on the remote, which turns the television screen on.

A commercial ad broadcasts on the screen about the said topic of their conversation with images and videos from the last tournament. The time, date, and location of each round of the tournament displays on the screen as well.

DJ Jazz was the last face on the commercial as he encourages Japan to root for the hometown favorite and current champions, the Bladebreakers.

"I think the ad speaks for itself." Max chuckles at the video of themselves blading against one of their various foreign opponets.

"You can say that again." Kai mutters underneath his breath while he tries to relax to prevent a impending headache.


	5. Chapter 5

"So what was that all about?" Audrey poses to Hiromi since the brunette haired girl starts to act strange ever since they arrive at their location.

"I know I'm not crazy…" Hiromi mutters to herself as she grasps her forehead and runs her finger through her brown locks.

Audrey shrugs her shoulders up and down since Hiromi did not respond directly to her question of concern.

'_I'm certain that there was an old woman there that warned me about that man who was about to take her money.'_

"Wow!" Audrey exclaims which breaks Hiromi out of her own thoughts to see the blonde haired girl with her right hand over her eyebrows.

"Just how big is this place!" she shouts to no one in particular while she squint her eyes as she takes in the sights.

"The gate that we just crossed through is known as the Meridian Gates or the main entrance to the Forbidden Kingdom." Hiromi explains to the ecstatic blonde while she adjusts her duffle bag.

"The walls are so tall!" Audrey exclaims once she turns her sights on to the large walls that surrounds them.

"There's a moat on the other side too." Hiromi mentions to her when Audrey stop to observe her new surroundings.

"That's so awesome!" Audrey shrieks from excitement, which causes Hiromi to smile at the blonde's reaction to being in the Forbidden City.

'_I forgot that this is her first time in a new country.'_ Hiromi suddenly recalls the reason behind Audrey's excitement.

She chuckles at her when the sight of the older woman from earlier catches her sights.

'_There she is!' 'I should at least thank her for being so nice.' _

"Excuse me, hey!" Hiromi shouts as the older woman pauses for a minute, peers over her shoulder, and what happens next catches her off guard.

The elderly woman breaks out in to a full blown sprint as it causes her to be in shock before she entails in a chase.

"Hiromi?" Audrey calls out her companion's name only to discover that she was no longer by her side.

She switches her sights from left to right until she catches a glimpse of the brunette chasing after someone.

"Hiromi, wait up!" Audrey screams as she attempts to catch up to her companion.

**8888**

Grandpa pokes his head inside of the living room, scans the familiar faces and thinks to himself, _'I guess Takao hasn't come out of his room yet.'_

'_Even Kai couldn't break him out of his slump.' _He gloomily notes to himself as he pads back over to the sink.

'_I mean I thought she saw us as family…' _Grandpa weighs to himself as he twists the knob on the sink and allows the water to cascade over the vegetables that rest inside of the sink.

The sound of a girlish giggle ceases the silence in the kitchen, which prompts Grandpa to peer over his right shoulder only to spot Hiromi with an apron around her waist.

"The boys have been working extremely hard today, haven't they?" Hiromi inquires as she runs the sharp blade underneath a piece of fish's skin.

"They wouldn't be the Bladebreakers that we know if they did not stick to a rigorous regime." He replies as he lifts a head of cabbage closer to the hot water.

"I think they just might repeat with a back to back to back championship. What do you think about that Grandpa?" She ponders to the older Kinoyama as she lays out the thin pieces against a white sheet of paper.

"I don't think they'll repeat…" He says which earns an expression of confusion from the brunette haired woman.

Hiromi was about to voice her question of "Why not?" only to overhear Grandpa interjects with "I _know _that they will since they're bonds make them completely unbeatable."

"Bonds, huh?" Hiromi questions to herself as she resumes slicing the fish right before she pauses and rotates her head back in his direction.

"I like the sound of that." She happily admits with her eyes closed and a wide smile on her face before she returns to her activity.

"Oh and Hiromi…" he speaks up once he turns his head to the right but no longer saw the brunette female there in the kitchen alongwith him.

Grandpa raises his right arm toward his face, rubs the dry portion of his forearm across his tear stained eyes and cries silent sniffles.

'_I guess my grandson has it worse than what I do.'_ He surmises as he attempts to focus on the task at hand.

**8888**

Takao remains in his previous position as it seems to somewhat ebb the feeling of remorse from his weary body.

He naturally exchanged his feelings and thoughts with Dragoon as the bey spirit responded to its owner sorrow with a woeful roar of its own.

Takao recalls Kai's brief visit with him, which left him peeved because he did not mention how he felt about Hiromi's suddenly departure from the group.

'_How can he even sound so calm when he knows what happened?'_

'_Everything can't go back to normal…not without Hiromi.' _

His mind reels back through his memories to the first time he had met the Wicked Witch of the Eight Tachibana, Hiromi.

"Everybody's in a good mood today." Kenny, aka the Chief, states as he studies his classmates' face that display excitement as they chatter amongst each other.

Takao pops open one of his eyes, direct his gaze toward his brunette haired friend, lean on the back legs of his chair, and position his intertwined hands behind the nape of his neck.

"They must have seen my latest victory on T.V!" He proudly boasts while he maintains his balance when he rocks back and forth until he finds a comfortable position.

"Still full of yourself as I see," a feminine voice interjects, which prompts the two friends to locate the source of the voice.

Kenny overhears Takao mutter to himself, "Not the Wicked Witch of the Eighth Grade…" before he counters with, "Well when you're the World Champion…"

"Alright class, settle down," Ms. Kincaid broadcasts as she clasps her hands together to capture her eighth grade students attention.

"The election for class president is now officially closed." She announces once the students were mute as their sights settle in on the brunette haired woman with glasses.

"We had elections today?" Takao questions to himself as he leans his chair forward until it was in its original upright position.

"Chief, why you didn't tell me that we were supposed to vote today?" He poses to Kenny with an expression of shock on his face.

"I told you that when we were on our way to school _and _at the start of homeroom." Kenny reminds his confused friend.

"I will now announce the winner of the elections." Ms. Kincaid claims as she separate her hands from against each other, drops them to the surface of the desk, and scoops up the piece of paper.

She clears her throat and begins to read off of the paper "Your new eighth grade class president is…."

"….Tachibana, Hiromi,"

"Oh no…" Takao grumbles to himself after he hears the result of the election while Hiromi proclaims "Oh yes!" as she pumps her fist in the air.

A small smirk stretches across his face after he recalls one of the numerous fond memories that he had shared with the brunette female.

'_I_ _just wished that you could have at least told me the reason why you left.' _He inwardly weighs to himself before he returns Dragoon to its proper place.

**8888**

Audrey eyes' lock in on the brunette haired teen's back as she watches her weave in and out of the crowd while she manages to avoid colliding with bystanders.

"Hiromi!" She repeatedly proclaims in hopes that she would respond to her call and cease this meaningless chase after a stranger.

When Audrey feels her breathing begin to shorten, she knew she had to catch up to Hiromi now or risk losing her amongst the crowd.

"Slowdown wills you!" She bellows outward, which draws looks of confusion from the strangers that surround her.

It was at that moment did Hiromi draws to a halt in her chase once the elderly woman vanishes from her field of vision.

"Where is she?" Hiromi asks herself as she completes a panoramic scan of the area that she was in but to no avail there was no older woman.

Audrey canters up to her before she rests both of her hands on top of her knees as a gesture to regain her breathe.

"Whew!" she exclaims as she plops down on her butt in the middle of the busy street while the crowd seem to migrate around them.

"I don't see her." Hiromi mutters to herself as she rotates her head left and right while she speaks to no one in particular.

Audrey peers up at Hiromi and voices, "Well whoever it was, I would be scared too if someone starts to chase after me."

"There was something different about that woman…she's elderly yet she can run like a teenager." She expresses while she stares in one specific direction.

"…or she could be in good shape because she exercises on a daily basis." Audrey revels as she giggles to herself at the thought.

"If you say…here let me help you up." Hiromi consents while she extends a hand out for the blonde as a gesture to help her up.

"Thanks." She thanks her companion once she was up on her feet before she dusts herself off with her hands and inquires, "So where are we now?"

Hiromi peers upward to see that they were poise in front of a similar structure such as the Meridian Gate until she spots the sign for the building.

"We're at the second gate known as the Gate of Supreme Harmony." She informs Audrey, who starts to point at random objects and exclaims, "Wow! This is nice!"

Hiromi glances over to the blonde to see her genuine enthusiasm about visiting a new country for the first time.

'_I guess I almost forgot to slow down and enjoy the sights.' _She reminds herself of her unofficial job as Audrey's tour guide.

A tall slender woman approaches the two girls as they chat amongst each other about the sights before she interrupts the duo, "Excuse me,"

"…but you are Hiromi Tachibana and Audrey Steele?" she inquires once the brunette and the blonde haired girls turn their sights on to her.

Their sights land on a tall petite woman, who appears in her early twenties, with waist-length silver hair that had two braided strands of her hair to the back of her head that was held together by a purple bow. Her grey eyes contrast with her pale skin as her face resembles that of a heart. She was clad in a ankle length traditional cheongsam that was white with hints of azure blue swirls that resemble wind currents.

"Who are you?" Audrey asks for the woman's identity with an skeptical expression on her face.

"My name is Meifeng." The strange woman introduces herself to the girls after she executes a small bow at the waist.

"I'm here to show you where to go so that you can fulfill your purpose in life." The woman name Meifeng explains why she was in their presence at the moment.

A pout materializes on the blonde face when she grumbles to Hiromi, "Ah man, I was hoping to see some more sights before we start getting serious."

"Looks like we have no other choice but to follow…the letter or the invite didn't say what to do once we got here." Hiromi utters to her traveling companion with a shrug of her shoulders.

"It's only human nature to be suspicious about the unknown especially when a random stranger approaches you as a guide to your destination." Meifeng asserts in a calm tone with what appears to be a genuine smile on her face.

Her response was enough to earn a reaction from Audrey. She advances one step forward before Hiromi shoots her hand out until it grasps the blonde's arm to halt her in her steps while she mutters, "Wait a minute Audrey,"

She peers over her shoulder and studies the concern present on Hiromi's face which prompts her to imply, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know if it is my instincts or institution or ESP or whatever you may call it but anyway…I feel as if I can trust her." Hiromi whispers her opinion to her fellow companion.

"We won't know unless we go." Audrey simply retorts as it seems to slightly ebb the suspicious sense away from her thoughts.

"Alright then, let's do this!" Hiromi happily proclaims with a small grin on her face.


	6. Chapter 6

Grandpa quietly hums to himself since the silence starts to haunt him with images of his kitchen helper, Hiromi Tachibana.

'_I managed to finish everything.' _He happily thinks to himself as he stands back to marvel at the work in front of him.

Yet the happiness was all but too brief when the sight of his grandson enters within the kitchen area couple with an unreadable expression on his face.

His first instinct was to ask what was wrong with him that is if he was unaware of what was going on with him, however he steers clear away from the question.

Grandpa watches as Takao ignores the table full of food in front of him and ventures toward the refrigerator.

"I just finished up with dinner so you can fix whatever it is that you want." He speaks up as his voice cuts through the tense quietness between the two Kinomiyas.

Takao reaches inside of the refrigerator, withdraws a bottle, closes the door behind him, and replies, "Not hungry."

His response was typical for a heartbroken teenager boy, except his grandson was no average normal boy.

Takao had accomplished so much in the world of beyblading before the tender age of eighteen years old. He won three world championships in a row, was a member of the famous Bladebreakers, BBA Revolution and succeeded in being nominated leader of the G-Revolution. He was even proclaimed as the "#1 Blade in the World" by the BBA.

"What else was there left in the world for this young man to accomplish?" he recalls a reporter innocently pose to the world.

The other news anchor supplies an answer filled with encouragement, "His skills has shown us that the sky isn't his limit for he has soared above and beyond the clouds and is among the stars."

Takao's harsh response to the departure of a dear friend will probably hamper his interpersonal relations with others.

However, the reporter's question continuously cycles through his thoughts when he realizes that there was absolutely nothing left for him to win in the world of beyblading.

'_What else was there in the world for this young man to accomplish?' _

He watches his grandson exit from the kitchen as it causes his heart to drop from a sense of sadness.

**8888**

Audrey and Hiromi closely trails behind Meifeng as she guides them through the crowd. It appears as if the crowd parts down the middle as they advance forward with each step.

Hiromi casually observes the woman in front of her as she seems to exude a hidden sense of confidence and honesty.

A brief breeze passes over them once they draw near a side building that appear to be close off to those visitors other than themselves.

"Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain." Meifeng recites after she places her hand against the double wooden doors.

The wooden doors were drawn inward onceshe concludes the quote before she leads the two inside of the building.

"So Meifeng…" Audrey speaks up from the pair as she captures the silver haired woman's attention. "…where exactly are we going?"

"That's a good question Audrey, in order to begin your journey you must have a start position correct?" She poses to the blonde haired girl.

Audrey glances over at Hiromi before she returns her sight on to the woman in front of her and replies, "Good point."

A pregnant silence overcomes the trio as the two young ladies scope out their surroundings and notices the ancient décor.

"My lady Matsumoto…I have acquired the two you requested of me." Meifeng voices after she bows at the waist as a sign of respect for the woman in front of her.

Hiromi and Audrey face a woman with orange hair with a bang that covers her forehead and spiral curls that cascades down past her shoulder. Her brown eyes radiate leadership and an iron will yet hold a sense of sensitive that can only be found in a maternal figure.

"Excellent job as always, Meifeng." The woman name Matsumoto congratulates the woman, who bears a small smile as a sign of her appreciation for the compliment.

"Ni hao (hello) Audrey Steele and Hiromi Tachibana," She greets them with a stretch of her lips as she adds, "Huanying (welcome) to China and to the Forbidden City."

"My name is Matsumoto Inoue, and I am considered the start of your journey to find whatever it is that you seek." She politely introduces herself as Inoue Matsumoto to the girls.

"Along the way, you will encounter trials and tribulations that will not only test you physically, mentally, but spiritually. However, I assure you that the end result will be worth your while and time." Inoue speaks in a stern yet a gentle tone.

"Hiromi…Meifeng will accompany you on your expedition to find your purpose in life." She informs Hiromi as she glances over at the silver haired woman.

"Ah you're so lucky…you already have yours." Audrey mutters to her companion in a teasing fashion, which causes a small smirk to stretch across her face.

Inoue peers over her right shoulder and shouts the name "Yu…"

A woman with wavy shoulder length purple hair that was style in a side part bob with a streak of silver as a bang that frames her round face and charcoal grey eyes emerges from the shadows.

She was clad in a grey sashiko no donza with purple pinwheel embroidery that exposes a violet purple strapless bathing suit top along with white knee length capris. A pair of sturdy wooden zoris adorns her feet as she advances forward.

"Audrey…Yu will serve as your guide as you start on your quest in life." Inoue explains the presence of the woman in front of her.

"Let me forewarn you that there are times where one individual will not be able to complete a task." She warns them with a smile on her face.

"I think that clears up all of the introductions and instructions." Inoue quietly says under her breath as a means to mentally check off her to do list.

'_Am I doing the right thing here?' _Hiromi silently ponders to herself after she processes the content of the conversation.

"It's good to clear any air of confusion." Meifeng voices before her eyes lock in on Inoue. "A clouded mind blinds the individual from a wise judgment."

Hiromi casts her sights away from Inoue and on to Audrey to see that she was unaware of Meifeng's advice, which means it was direct to her.

"You were selected to accomplish what you desperately wanted to have, which is a purpose in life. Now is the time to make the decision that will forever change your life."

It was as if she spoke some words of wisdom that sent a wave of relief through her body. _'Maybe she's right about this…'_

Hiromi peers up at Meifeng once again and declares "I accept this journey."

A smile stretches across her face at Hiromi's acceptance to what one would call it as fate or destiny.

Inoue's voice breaks them out of their conversation when she suggests that the two should begin as soon as possible.

'_I'm sorry Takao…but this time I have to think of me.' _

**8888**

Audrey was trailing behind Yu when noticing that they were now outside trekking through the lush green grass toward a small river.

"Uhm…Yu right?" Audrey inquires as her New York accent strongly emerges as she speaks to her instructor.

Yu leads them to the banks of the river, halts to answer her question, glances over her shoulder and supplies an answer with a "Yes".

"What is it that _I'm _supposed to do?" she curiously poses until she watches Yu direct her index finger toward the water.

"You're going to first swim from this end to the other end and back." She answers, which causes Audrey to express shock as Yu returns her arm to her side.

"Now what is that going to do?"

"Clear your head…oh and you will need this too." Yu mentions as she searches around the area until her hand wraps around a rope, drags it towards Audrey and ties it around her waist.

"You might want to hurry before a tide or even a rip current comes through." She advises with a straight face and a small smile across her face.

Audrey silently groaned when she realized that she had no bathing suit on and that her clothes would be soaked once she completed the task.

Yu senses her hesitate and assures her "Don't worry about your clothes. I have a spare set when you're done."

Audrey drops her book bag, shrugs out of her jacket, slides her shades off of her face, unzips the large portion, stuffs it inside and zips it back.

She exhales a deep breath as a means to concentrate and starts to jog when she feels a heavy weight pull around her waist.

'_What the world?' _Audrey thinks as she glances over her shoulder to see a tire at the end of the rope.

"You expect me to _swim_ with this thing on my back?" she asks as she witnesses Yu merely nods her head up and down as a signal of a yes.

Audrey repeatedly faces the tire, Yu and the river until she ultimately decides to break out in to a mad dash to the edge of the water.

Yu observes Audrey, no longer hesitant, sprints and dives in the water along with the tire at her back.

She gathers up her personal belongings, ventures toward the small wooden shack that sits a little ways up stream, locates her telescope, searches for Audrey, and watches her progression.

**8888**

"Dinner is ready." Grandpa announces as he pokes his head inside of the living room to see the other three members of the famous Bladebreakers in a trance with a segment about the opponents in the upcoming world tournament.

It was not until the sound of his voice did it snap their intense concentration on the color tube about the BBA.

Max was the first to response to the mention of food, "Ah my stomach has been filling empty ever since that run this morning,"

"Did Takao ever come out of his room?" A concern Rei inquires toward Grandpa about his knowledge on Takao's present location.

Grandpa pauses to himself before he replies, "Yeah, the little dude had doom and gloom written all over his face, shawty."

Kai maintains his usual stoic expression when he feels his teammates eyes turn toward him after they hear the news from Grandpa about Takao.

"At least he's up and about." Rei claims after he rises to his feet since he stomach quietly growls at him for not feeding it.

Max hops to his feet, dusts off his butt, stretch his arms until he hears a pop noise, and says, "That's good…we don't have to worry too much about him."

Grandpa observes the interaction between the two light hearts of the group while Kai continues to hang back from the two.

Kai silently stands to his feet as he watches his comrades, except for Grandpa, travels toward the kitchen.

"Kai…" Grandpa calls out to the slate haired male, who was previously the leader of the group before Takao finally accept the position of leadership.

The young man stops in the middle of his stride at the sound of his name being called by the older Kinomiya.

He rotates his head in his direction where he was met with a question about of course Takao's focus on beyblading.

"I'm sure he will make a speedy recovery in time for the tournament." Kai expresses with a hidden sense of insecurity in his tone.

'_There's still something not right though…' _


End file.
